


The Rise of Thanatos

by JasminSky



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dark Golden Trio, Dark Harry, Dark Hermione Granger, Dark Ron Weasley, Dark Weasleys, Evil Harry Potter, Horcruxes, James and Lily are alive, M/M, Master of Death Harry Potter, Multi, Murderers, Murderous Godfathers, NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS, Necromancer Harry Potter, Not Tom's!, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent, Slash, Smuggling, Time Travel, Tom has Horcruxes too...of course, all around crazyness, only the males...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 19:41:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20476457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasminSky/pseuds/JasminSky
Summary: "Raised like a pig for slaughter."His Potions Professor's words echoed through the mind of Harry when he steps in front of Voldemort. Though probably neither of them would have foreseen the result of the killing curse hitting him.Waking on the day of the trip to the zoo Harry decides that it is high time he did things his way.The problem with this plan? The entire world as he knew it was just an illusion created by his ignorance and the scheming of his enemies.But what is the truth then?





	1. A Hero Falls

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't correct this one or put it up here yet because it was on hiatus until now. But now my muse thought to bring it up again and here we are.
> 
> This story was adopted from DZ2 on fanfiction.net, so the first chapter is from him but the rest is all my own ideas.
> 
> Originally this story was planned to have a Harry/Severus pairing, however, my muse came up with two other ones...Harry/Ron or Harry/Tom Riddle (the diary Horcrux) with Severus taking up a mentor role.  
Well, what do you think? Let me know!
> 
> Edit: After reading many comments and thinking further on the pairing I came up with something that is probably completely crazy and never done before. Harry Potter/Ron Weasley/Tom Riddle | Voldemort (not one of his Horcruxes but the real deal) while Severus is one of Harry's parents.  
Call me crazy, call me stupid, call me whatever you want but this is what I decided on and my muse is having entirely too much fun with it :D

# Chapter 1: A Hero Falls

_"So, in the end, the boy must die?"_

_"Yes, …he must die…"_

_"You've kept him alive so that he can die at the proper moment. You've been raising him like a pig for slaughter!"_

The words of Professor Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore, once a man that Harry trusted with his very life, seemed to echo within the mind of the so-called Hero of Hogwarts, the leader of the Light's rebellion against Voldemort's siege on Hogwarts and the Golden Prince of Gryffindor.

No matter which way he looked at it, Harry couldn't get his mind off of what he'd heard: the truth that he was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. The blind fact that, for Riddle to meet his end Harry had to die; perhaps the weirdest revelation of all, there was the fact that, all this time, all these years, Severus had never hated Harry nor had he held any ill will against him.

No: instead, he was as bound and trapped by fate as Harry himself, forced to serve two different masters while honouring the memory of one whom he cared for greatly.

And that care, that dedication to his cause had cost Severus his life…and for what?

So Harry could learn that he was meant to die!?

As he slowly walked into the Forbidden Forest, having left Ron and Hermione with the rest of the school back in the Entrance Hall, Harry stopped for a moment, looking down at the wand that he held in his hand. The wand that wasn't even his and yet, by some miracle, he was meant to go up against Tom with.

'No,' thought Harry, feeling a soft laugh bubble up inside his chest as he reasoned, 'I'm not meant to fight Tom: I'm meant to stand there and let the snake-faced bastard kill me so that his Horcrux is destroyed and, as a result, Tom himself is destroyed!'

Clenching his fist around the hilt of the wand, Harry felt his breath catch in his throat while, at the same time, he was aware of a cold, damp feeling trickling its way down his cheeks. With his free hand, Harry lifted his fingers to his face before he actually laughed as he felt tears running down his cheeks, their touch as cold as death itself.

'Why…why am I crying?' wondered Harry, laughing to himself as he exclaimed, 'I…I should be happy, right? I mean, this is what I want, isn't it? To risk my goddamn neck again just because some senile, demented, sorry excuse for a headmaster wants to see me die?'

Lifting his head to the heavens, Harry felt his tears dripping off the edge of his chin as he cried, "Is this what you want from me?"

As he let out his cry, Harry was actually surprised to see the heavens open, causing a torrential rainstorm to fall onto the earth below. The cold sting of the raindrops obscured Harry's glasses while, at the same time, their icy touch seemed to cause his lightning bolt scar to sting with a familiar pain as Harry, clenching his fist even tighter, lowered his head, sobbing through the wind and rain.

"Is this who I am?" asked Harry, falling to his knees before he pounded the ground with his fist, feeling a brief flash of pain cross his senses as the impact of skin on rock caused the skin on his knuckles to crack open, shedding his blood onto the ground.

As the blood flowed from the wound on his knuckles, Harry looked at the red rivulets that slowly started to seep into the earth. As the rain continued to fall and the skies overhead became thick and black with thunderclouds that seemed to promise destruction on behalf of Mother Nature, he let his eyes linger on the sight of his blood. At the same time, a new, colder feeling gripped his chest, filling him with pain that was unlike any that he could remember feeling before now.

And given that he'd been bitten by a Basilisk, attacked by two hordes of Dementors, scarred and nearly burned by a dragon, cursed by Voldemort himself and Death Eaters alike and found himself going to Death more times than any kid should have done, the intensity of the pain that Harry felt was definitely saying something.

As the pain intensified, Harry gripped his free hand against his chest, the blood on his knuckles now staining his clothes before, with an almost trembling breath that seemed to turn into something more as it passed his lips, Harry drew himself up to his full height before he walked forwards. The rainstorm now emphasised by a bolt of lightning that seemed to illuminate Harry's figure as he made his way to the rendezvous point with the Dark Lord and his forces.

Every move he made seemed to suggest that his body moved on autopilot and, as he reached the clearing where Tom and his forces waited, Harry just glared at the Dark Lord before, lifting the wand in his hand, he threw it down onto the ground, surprising the Dark Lord and his allies.

"There you go, Tom!" spat Harry, his green eyes as cold and hard as the emeralds they so famously-resembled as he hissed, "Do your worst, but I hope you realise the price you're paying for what you've done!"

"Defiant to the end, Harry," hissed the Dark Lord, lifting his wand, the Elder Wand, before he commanded, "Avada Kedavra!"

Green light consumed Harry's vision, and he knew no more…

* * *

Darkness.

That was the first thing that Harry was aware of when he felt consciousness return to him.

It was dark, but it was warm and surprisingly dry; as he let his body return to normalcy or whatever passed for it, Harry's eyelids flickered while a look of surprise crossed his face as he heard a voice that he had not heard in many a month, since before this craziness had even begun.

"Up! Get up!"

As Harry snapped his eyes open, he nearly cried out when he saw that, instead of lying on the ground in front of Voldemort as dead as a doornail, he was instead lying on a familiar, but seriously unwelcome cot in the cupboard under the stairs that occupied the space beneath the stairway within Number Four, Privet Drive.

As Harry tried to adjust to the strangely-familiar event, he felt something thick poking into his side. The sound of Petunia Dursley's voice reached his ears once more, followed by the familiar sound of Dudley screaming that they were going to the zoo, Harry, still feeling disorientated by the events in question, looked down to his left-hand side.

Straining his eyes through the darkness, Harry's heart skipped a beat when he saw what looked like a long black traveller's cloak along with a pendant that bore a very familiar triangular symbol. However, the reason that Harry felt such shock in looking at said parcel was because of the object that was responsible for poking him in the side.

The Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows and the source of his death, was lying next to the cloak and pendant, its hilt resting idly in-between Harry's fingertips, its tip poking at his eleven-year-old self's waistline. At the same time, Harry was also aware of something he'd never felt before coming from the wand, passing from its tip into his body.

And that something was power!

Real power!

"What the fuck?" whispered Harry.

However, before he could even begin to work out what was going on, he was cut off when the door to his cupboard opened, and a familiar meaty hand reached in to grab him. Out of some instinct that had come from fleeing Snatchers, taking on Death Eaters and everything else he'd had to put up with in the past, Harry did the first thing that he could think of.

Grabbing the Elder Wand, feeling an icy, but empowering magical energy sweeping its way through him as he held it aloft.

Harry slashed at the air before he commanded, "Sectumsempra!"

The scream that tore from the lips of Vernon Dursley alarmed the other two Dursleys.

Harry, however, looked from the bleeding slashes that had cut his Uncle's flesh open to the wand in his hand and, as he looked, he did something that, time was, he would never have done in this scenario.

He smiled at the sight of the Muggle in pain because of him!

Moreover, it wasn't a friendly, reassuring smile either; instead, it was a cold, cruel, vicious smile that made a shark smelling blood in the water look tame.

'This isn't a dream,' thought Harry, moving out of the cupboard, taking the wrapped cloak and the pendant with him in the process as he laughed to himself, 'I'm really back! Why? Is it because of what I felt in the Forest? Is it the Horcrux? Could this be the prophecy's true meaning?'

"No, Master," said a cold voice, making Harry look up in time to see that, to his shock, the entire world around him had suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. Vernon's blood flowed like a frozen fountain from the slashes while Petunia looked as disgusted as ever, though her expression was one of horror, as she seemed to try to save her husband.

As for Dudley, he seemed to be holding one of his thirty-six presents, his pose suggesting that he was shaking it, utterly ignorant of the fact that Harry had used magic to harm his Father.

Looking around, Harry saw that he wasn't the only figure moving either.

Standing in the doorway that led into the lounge of Number Four was a tall man with eerily-pale skin and dark hair that was brushed back, giving him a haunted, but firm, formal appearance. The man was dressed in a black tuxedo while one of his hands held onto a cane with a silver-forged head; on one of the fingers of his other hand, Harry noticed the man was wearing a ring that looked like it was made of pure silver, a white rectangular-shaped jewel embedded in the crown.

As Harry stared at the stranger, he swallowed hard as he asked, "Who…who the hell are you? How…how did you do this?"

Even as he asked the questions, Harry felt a growl ripple in his chest as he heard the fear in his voice: he'd been afraid too many times before and, whatever was happening now, Harry knew one thing more than anything else at that moment.

He never wanted to be meek, frightened or naïve towards anyone ever again!

However, even that thought was dashed when the stranger answered Harry's question in a clipped tone of voice that seemed to echo some hidden coldness that made Harry's heart stop dead in his chest.

And that was before the stranger identified himself as he told Harry, "I'd think you of all people would recognise Death when you see him, Master!"

Harry's eyes widened with disbelief and horror; as he looked back to the frozen images of his family, he then returned his attention to Death as he asked him, "Did you do this, Death?"

"I did," replied Death, a smirk playing on his lips as he explained, "Call it granting your greatest wish, Master, albeit at the cost of all you hold dear!"

Harry just blinked before he frowned as he asked, "Why?"

"Because," said Death, walking towards Harry until they were inches apart as he explained, "I have not simply turned back the hands of time to offer you a chance to defy me again, Harry James Potter!"

"Death is cunning and pretends to offer gifts, but has an ulterior motive," drawled Harry, earning another thin smirk from Death as he added, "I remember that part of the story; so what's your intention this time, Death? Because if this is meant to be some sort of joke to you, then you should know that I'm not laughing!"

"I know," agreed Death, his eyes boring into Harry's skull as he explained, "But you are hungry, aren't you, little Master? Hungrier than you've ever felt before or since for something that only you can claim, and everyone else will learn to fear!"

"And what is that?"

Pointing a finger at Harry, Death smiled like a sly fox before he answered Harry, his every word punctuated by amusement and finality.

"The Power to Master me, Harry Potter: a power only the Darkest of the Dark Forces could wield and now, because of your desire to escape the fate forced unto you, it is a power that is yours."

Placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, Death actually bowed his head before he went on, his words still edged by amusement.

"Congratulations, _hero_: you have become the Master of Death!"


	2. The First Step To Hell

# Chapter 2: The First Step to Hell

_"Congratulations, hero: you have become the Master of Death!"_

Those words circled through Harry’s mind while he sat in his compartment of the Hogwarts Express, observing the other students on the platform while stroking the feathers of his familiar Hedwig whom he had missed dearly. With the other hand he played with the pendant that hung from a thin golden chain around his neck, it was the resurrection stone, one of the Deathly Hallows that had appeared next to him when he arrived in the past. The cloak was securely locked in his trunk while the wand was placed in his wrist holster next to the wand he had acquired from Ollivander.

He had to smirk on that memory; Ollivander had tried to pair him with Voldemort’s twin wand again, but that thing had exploded spectacularly and had been beyond repair. Now he had a jet-black elm wand with a twin-core of Rougarou hair and horned serpents horn. The second wand he only bought to not alarm Dumbledore of the fact that he was the owner of the elder wand now though he wondered what the old meddling fool thought where the wand disappeared to since it had been his, not that it was of any use to him anymore since Harry became Master of Death.

That brought him back to his initial thought.

Hero…he could only laugh about that. Oh no, Death granted him his deepest wish, a chance to right his wrongs and this time he would do it the right way. No more running to death like a good little boy, no more saving people and most definitely no more listening to that old demented fool that thought him to be his little golden poster boy.

Harry chuckled darkly upon that thought. Should Dumbledore think that Grindelwald was evil and Voldemort the worst Dark Lord in recent history then he would be in for a very nasty surprise because he would be infinitely worse and, it was entirely Dumbledore's fault.

Luckily Death had the Horcrux in him removed because would that have been awkward. Not because he was overly concerned that the soul shard of one of the darkest persons of recent history had resided in his scar, but he had learned from Death that he was immortal when it came to an unnatural cause of death. But how would he be supposed to get rid of it without dying in the first place? He also had no intention to make Voldemort immortal thank you very much, he wanted to get rid of that idiot as soon as possible after all, so that damned Horcrux had to go. And it had gone, though interestingly not without leaving most of the knowledge of the former Dark Lord behind. An excellent and handy little gift, Harry had to admit.

Though what left Harry wondering was Death’s statement that all of this came “at the cost of all he held dear”. What did Death mean by this? What did Harry hold dear? Thinking about it, he came to no satisfying result. Sure, Harry liked his friends Ron and Hermione, and he would miss them should they be ripped from him, but he wouldn’t despair over it. His family he never got to know as well as Sirius, Remus and all the others like Tonks or the adults of the Weasley family. The only other one he could think of was Snape, but again he wouldn’t despair should he lose him. Well, he would have to see what Death meant precisely.

He was ripped out of his thoughts however, when he spotted a group of redheaded people, the Weasleys. That made him remember when he had first met his friend Ron. Would the boy accept that he was not the light saviour he expected him to be? Or would he shun him and run for the hills because he was dark? Not only dark but also evil?

What about Hermione? He remembered that she was a bad know-it-all at the beginning taking everything that she had read or that any authority figure said at face value, especially when it came out of Dumbledore's mouth. That he would have to get out of her quickly should she being able to accept him for how he was now.

For now, however, it was pointless to muse about things he didn’t even know the facts about. He would have to wait and see what time brought him and time he had enough.

Watching the crowd of students, parents and other guardians on the platform, his thoughts were drawn to what happened to the Dursleys. Oh yes, what he had done to them was a true masterpiece, torturing them thoroughly for what they had done to him, it was indeed a good thing that his wand, the Deathstick, came without any traces whatsoever. So he could cast, even as a minor, whatever spell he fancied and adding to it some wards against detection of the darker spells, let’s just say he had had very much fun with his relatives.

Oh yes, he had been extremely creative with his punishment, it still sent shudders of pleasure down his spine, remembering it, he doubted that even Snape could have been any more creative. What the Accio spell could be used for…so harmless in the daily use but pretty bloody if used correctly. Or Wingardium Leviosa…more power and well…head meets ceiling. Not to mention the Aguamenti charm, waterboarding on an entirely new level. All that was even before he delved into the darker spells, the Cruciatus curse while extremely effective was for unimaginative idiots.

That was when Death had revealed another little gift Harry inherited thanks to his title as Master of Death, he could resurrect the dead (unfortunately only without a soul) and command them. Reviving his family after killing them and controlling them to go on as they usually did…it should throw of Dumbledore from what he was truly doing during the holidays without them giving anything away. The beautiful thing of this was that despite that while they now had no soul anymore they still were living, you could compare them to braindead puppets with only the essential functions of their bodies working so that they wouldn’t start to decay.

Harry sported a content grin thinking about what he had done when suddenly the door to his compartment opened and Ronald Weasley poked his head in. Turning around to the boy, he saw that Ron’s eyes briefly flashed to his forehead where his scar was half hidden by his fringe. Harry had told Death that it should remain even if it were awkward to be stared at because of it. However, it would be much more uncomfortable to explain how it suddenly vanished, especially to Dumbledore. For now, he wanted to lay a low profile, at least until things settled in Hogwarts after him arriving there.

“Hello, would you mind me joining you? Everywhere else is full,” Ron asked with a sheepish grin.

“Highly doubtable” Harry retorted.

“Err…what?” Ron asked confusedly.

“It is highly doubtable that everywhere else is full since this train can contain about a thousand people while I would say that there are at the moment somewhat around 800 students. However, I have no problem with you joining me,” he now grinned.

Ron stared at him for a moment blinking owlishly before he set into motion. When he tried to heave his trunk into the racks, Harry had his wand drawn with a flick of his wrist and a quick levitation charm later, the trunk was securely stored.

“Thank you. You can already perform magic like that? This is awesome,” Ron rambled with awe written all over his face. “My name is Ron by the way, Ron Weasley.”

“Harry Potter, nice to meet you, Ron,” Harry replied which let Ron stare at him even more.

“Wow, you…you're Harry Potter? Do…do you have it? ...the scar I mean,” he started his eyes grew even wider, but Harry who grew irritated by the other boy’s behaviour quickly interrupted him.

“First things first. I might be the Boy-who-lived having defeated a Dark Lord at the age of one, but I am definitely NOT some light poster boy and even less the person, you or anyone else for that matter expect. What happened ten years ago came at a very high price, my parents died that day. I actually find it disgusting how everybody celebrates my victory while completely forgetting their sacrifice, which was actually the reason for why the Dark Lord was defeated in the first place,” he explained in an ice-cold voice. “If you have a problem with that or only see my fame, money or titles and not me, for who _I_ am…get lost.”

Ron again only could stare at Harry, thinking through what he had heard about Harry from others. According to them, their saviour was the symbol of everything light and good. What Harry just said, however, pointed into an entirely different direction. A suspicion formed in his head, but he was known for his ability of strategic thinking and should anything of Harry’s statement be correct then he was more Slytherin than anything else. Ron knew from own experience and stories from his brothers that Slytherins were closed up when it came to their secrets, so he needed a plan to get behind Harry’s statement. First step: appeasing him.

“I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention to insult you or degrade your parent’s sacrifice,” he said in a low voice. Harry only blinked at him lost for words; it seems that he hadn’t anticipated this…good. “Sure, at first I only saw you as the Boy-who-lived but only because it was all I knew about you,” he shrugged helplessly, step two: handing him an olive branch, he chuckled lowly. “You're right, you're nothing like everyone thinks you are, and I want to get to know _you_ not the Boy-who-lived because you seem to be much more interesting,” step three: offering genuine friendship.

Harry looked at Ron in open curiosity. That was Slytherin level of manipulation probably to get to know what he meant with not being the light poster boy. Had that always been hidden in Ron? But he never showed it or had his little travel in time changed the boy so much? But no, he couldn’t have altered him that drastically in that short amount of time he now was in the past and without even having met him before. He had to admit that he loved the new side of his hopefully soon again best friend.

“Who said I’m interesting in any given way?” he inquired.

Ron smiled upon that while looking Harry straight into the eyes. “Your demeanour, your choice of words…I would bet everything I have that you’ll end up in Slytherin,” he chuckled.

Okay, that statement derailed everything Harry thought he knew about his best friend. Had he really just said that he would land in Slytherin without so much as blinking not to mention that he didn’t lose even one word about the “slimy snakes” and praising the great, great Gryffindors?

“I would have bet that a boy coming from a light family that was in Gryffindor for centuries would be more biased against Slytherin considering the ongoing house rivalry between those two houses,” Harry probed a bit confused.

“And here it seems that we both have our secrets,” Ron now grinned broadly.

That was when suddenly the door to their compartment opened, revealing a bushy-haired brunette.

“Hello, has anyone of you seen a toad? You see Neville has lost his,” she said in a bossy voice.

“I saw a rat, a snowy owl and a boy with red hair but no toad, no,” Harry replied curtly, he really would have to get this attitude out of her. “Who are you anyway? It is quite rude to enter a compartment without so much as knocking and then not even introducing yourself.”

Hermione looked at him as if he suddenly decided to grow a second head, while Ron looked at him in interest.

“My name is Hermione Granger,” she finally brought out. “Who are you?”

“This is Ron Weasley, and I’m Harry Potter,” Harry introduced them both.

“You're Harry Potter? Nice to meet you. I read everything about you. You…” she started to ramble, but Harry interrupted her as quickly as Ron had been when he began about the entire Boy-who-lived nonsense.

“Ms Granger, I would advise you to not believe everything you read. For once I lived in the muggle world the last ten years and only have got to know about magic when I received my acceptance letter,” he tore into her. “Then there is the fact that it was the sacrifice of my parents who died that day that I survived. So, do yourself a favour and stop relying on books.”

“But…” she began but again was interrupted.

“Nothing but. Books of history are written by the victors, so it is only a one-sided story. Besides that, I’m the sole survivor of that night, so how can anyone assume to know what happened?! I for my part only remember fragments of it, and I never gave any interviews about it,” he growled lowly.

Hermione was stunned, not knowing what she should say to that.

“Another thing is that Books and especially newspapers only tell you what certain people want you to read. One of the prime examples for this is our esteemed headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Do you know how many books he removed from the Hogwarts library only because he declared them dark? So much knowledge lost because of the doings of one man.”

Oh yes, Harry knew what Dumbledore had done. So many classes the man had cancelled, books he had banned…the list was endless and only because he thought the subject dark or because there had been said to be no budget for it. What a revelation it had been when Harry had looked through the man’s office after his death. One thing was for sure, Dumbledore was the worst hypocrite right after Riddle. Declaring certain magic dark and forbidden and having practised it himself all the time. A prime example was the blood wards around Privet Drive. Oh no, they hadn’t been erected by his mother’s sacrifice, no it had been the headmaster.

“Dumbledore is a great man. He did so much for the magical world, defeating Grindelwald and keeping Voldemort away from Hogwarts, making it a sanctuary,” Hermione defended the man.

“Ah, yes? Tell me, how hard is it to defeat the one person you know best? Yes, Dumbledore and Grindelwald have been close friends, lovers even; they planned to rule the muggle world together as their superiors. That was until Dumbledore saw that their plans wouldn’t work. He left Grindelwald with a new scheme in his head, having pushed him so far that he went on with their plans alone, waging war over Europe along the way.

“Dumbledore has done all this only so that he, in the end, could defeat his former lover and appear as the hero that saved everyone,” Harry explained in a smug voice having read Skeeter’s book “The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore” had been another eye-opener. “And that Voldemort never attacked Hogwarts has absolutely nothing to do with Dumbledore. Voldemort saw Hogwarts as his first and only true home. He didn’t want to damage the castle, which would probably have happened during an attack.”

“You're lying…that are all lies…you have no proof for this,” Hermione shouted though it looked as if her faith was crumbling, the seed of doubt surely being planted in her mind.

“If you don’t believe me try to get your hands on a newspaper from the 13th August of 1899, there is even a photo of the two in it,” Harry scoffed.

Hermione glared at him. “You're wrong, and I’ll prove it,” she said, but it wasn’t with the determination the girl typically showed when enamoured with something, yes the seed of doubt indeed was planted and only time would tell whether she would become his friend again. With a last glare, she left the compartment and the two male occupants to themselves.

It was several minutes of utter silence where both thought about what just happened. Harry mused how he could convince Hermione to accept his true self while Ron mused over what Harry said in the last minutes.

It was Ron, who finally spoke up. “You know for someone who knows the magical world for what…two months? You know quite a lot,” he muttered.

“Is that so?” he replied with a smirk.

“You just said yourself that you only got to know about the magical world when you received your letter which should have been about two months ago when you reached the age of eleven. No normal person can dig up such information in such a short amount of time, especially when they’re new to this world and don’t know where to look,” Ron retorted.

“You listened to what I said…good, though I won’t tell you the secret behind that for now. What I tell you though is that knowledge is power and power is what I strive for,” Harry snickered. “I have blackmailing material on nearly everyone in a position of power and believe me I'm not above using it if necessary. What I told Hermione was just the tip of an enormous iceberg.”

Oh yes, over the years he had collected a massive amount of information on nearly everyone…Dumbledore, Malfoy, Fudge, Snape, Voldemort…the list was endless. The only one he never managed to find anything about was Amelia Bones. He had to admit that the woman was fair and only served justice; she wasn’t corrupt and never listened to either Dumbledore or Voldemort. It was a shame that she had died.

Ron looked at Harry seemingly contemplating something. “Harry, I don’t know how else to formulate it so I’ll be blunt…are you dark?” he asked in the end with an expression on his face that Harry wasn’t able to decipher. Was it fear? Or anticipation? Perhaps even something akin to hope?

Harry looked Ron straight into the eyes for a long moment before he answered with another question. “Would it bother you if I were?”

This was the point where it was decided whether he and Ron could still be friends or not. Should Ron have problems with his affiliation to the dark…he could only hope that it was not the case, so he awaited Ron's answer with trepidation, but somehow he had the feeling that Ron wouldn’t have a problem with it.

“Should it? You know looks can be deceiving, and not everyone who wears a shining white armour is a good guy,” Ron said with a smirk.

“True!” Harry laughed.

That was when again the compartment door opened this time, revealing a blond boy with two goons behind him.

“I heard that Harry Potter is supposed to be in this compartment,” he blurted out without introducing himself, was it today the day of not introducing oneself?

“Who says such a thing?” Harry questioned with a confused expression.

The only ones who knew he was Harry Potter were Ron who never left the compartment and Hermione. But he doubted that Malfoy would listen to her, so it was a good question. However, he had the feeling that Malfoy simply went from compartment to compartment with that question to find him.

“That is of no matter” Malfoy retorted, so it was as he assumed his way to find him. “Are you Harry Potter or not?”

“Even if I happen to be Harry Potter, what is it to you? Who are you anyway?” Harry replied with a smirk.

Malfoy’s eyes briefly flickered to Harry's forehead to confirm his suspicion before he held out his hand. “My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy,” he said with a smug grin upon which Ron had a hard time to suppress his laughter. “What? Think my name is funny? For yours I don’t even have to ask. Red hair, dull expression and worn clothes…probably a Weasley. You know Potter you’ll learn that some families are better than others are. I can help you sort that out.”

Harry, however, didn’t even move, looking at Malfoy in contemplation. “Ron, you strike me as a strategist and tactical thinker. What do you think how I should react to a boy who first insults a friend of mine before offering a probably for me beneficial alliance?” he asked with a look at said boy.

Ron, after looking at him in surprise that he was asked for his opinion, thought it through. “I’d suggest that you offer a truce for now and postpone your final decision to see whether he is even worthy of an alliance with you,” he said after a few moments.

“Thank you,” Harry gave Ron a smile before turning back to Malfoy. “It seems that for now, you’ll only get a truce with me, but should you prove your value to me I’d gladly accept your offer of an alliance.”

Malfoy looked back and forth between Ron and Harry in mild surprise. Had a Weasley of all people just made a bit of sound advice on how to handle this situation? Not only a sound one but also one worthy of a Slytherin? Something was going on here, and he wouldn’t be a Malfoy if he couldn’t find out what, but everything in its own time.

“Very well, a truce shall it be for now, and I have to apologise Mr Weasley for my harsh words,” he said dipping his head in Ron’s direction who nodded in acknowledgement. “Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, I won’t take up any more time of yours so I’ll leave now and welcome to Hogwarts,” Malfoy said before turning around and leaving the compartment.

For him, it was clear, this would be an exciting year. Especially Weasley was a surprise, and he would have an eye on the other boy to determine what was so different with him compared to the rest of his family. Sure, he wore like all the other Weasleys second-hand clothes and considering that they were as poor as a church mouse it was no wonder, but his entire demeanour and the advice he gave Potter testified to his pureblood status. Very interesting indeed. He was also determined to form at least an alliance with Potter and if that meant taking up with a Weasley, so mote it be.

Inside the compartment, Harry turned around to Ron, once the compartment door was closed and they were alone again.

“What do you think?” he asked curiously.

“About Malfoy? I don’t know how much you know about him or his family. In the war with You-know-who Lucius Malfoy, Draco’s father was on his side. Sure, he claimed having been under the Imperius Cruse, a curse to control the actions of a person stealing their own free will, once the war was over, but I don’t believe that” Ron explained with a thoughtful face. “On the other hand, they have large political and monetary influence in the magical world so they could be powerful allies. However, I think that especially Lucius has only one person he is truly loyal to, himself,” he ended with a snort.

“So, we should bide our time getting to know him and his loyalties before deciding any further actions,” Harry summed it up with a smirk.

“If you know your enemy and know yourself you need not fear the result of a hundred battles,” Ron smiled himself now.

“You read Sun Tzu?” Harry asked astonished.

“Surprised?”

“Very…I would never have thought that a pureblood like you would read something from a muggle like _The Art of War,_” he replied.

“Sun Tzu actually was a squib,” Ron snickered.

“You never stop learning,” this little tidbit he hadn’t known up to now.

The rest of the train ride was quiet and uneventful. Shortly after noon, the sweets trolley came by, and Harry bought for him and Ron a few sweets. Afterwards they engaged themselves in a discussion about strategies while playing a few rounds of chess. While Harry grew better over his years at Hogwarts before his little travel in time and Ron being younger, he still had nothing upon Ron.

Five minutes before the train pulled into the Hogsmead station, the two got changed. Ron simply threw his clothes into his trunk while Harry neatly folded his recently bought clothes and placed them in his seven-compartment trunk before locking Hedwig in her cage.

Yes, after he had dealt with his relatives, he had paid Gringotts a visit setting a few things right including the small little fact that a certain Headmaster had his key and had it been a surprise that his trust vault was not the only one he had inherited from his parents.

Before he had come back in time, he hadn’t known that it was only the tip of an enormous iceberg, something a particular old meddling bastard had deliberately kept from him. However, since this time he had gone to Gringotts alone there was nothing that prevented the goblins from informing him. Sure, the family vaults he could only access once he either was of age or got himself emancipated at the age of thirteen but that didn’t bother him. For now, he had enough money for what he needed or wanted, and the first thing he did was buying some high-quality clothes that were acceptable in the wizarding world while not standing out with the muggles.

His next stop had been Flourish & Blotts for an assortment of books on several topics. Not only did he want to upgrade his knowledge about magical history but also things like warding, Occlumency, potions, offensive/defensive spells as well as charms for everyday usage. After that, he made a trip to Knockturn Alley to find books on the less than legal branches of magic and potions. He found quite a few fascinating ones that now rested in the last and heavily warded compartment of his trunk that couldn’t be seen unless you spoke a password that Harry had set in Parseltongue. So the only other that could possibly access it would be Voldemort, but he highly doubted that the man would guess it to be “Thanatophobia” which was the fear of dying. Harry had found it hilarious when setting it.

The last two months, Harry then had taken to both read and practise the magic described in the books or brewing. Sure, he had inherited Voldemort’s knowledge, but that didn’t mean that he could execute the things like spells or brewing the potions, that still required practice. He had warded the smaller bedroom and set up a small potions lab within it. Sure, it wasn’t Snape’s standard, but for brewing potions on an acceptable level, it was sufficient. One of the first potions he had brewed was a nutrition potion to get rid of his malnourished body followed by one to correct his eyesight. How many times had he lost his glasses in his previous life and unfortunately he had been blind without them, well, no longer.

He was ripped from his musing by Ron who told him that they had arrived. Together they left the compartment onto the platform where they heard Hagrid shouting over the masses of students for the first years to gather around him. Though Harry this time hadn’t been taken to Diagon Alley by the man because he had received his letter like everyone else, and since he had written in his answer that it wouldn’t be necessary to accompany him, they hadn’t sent anyone, which was probably better because of what Harry actually bought additionally to his supplies. He wouldn’t want them to know what reading material he possessed after all.

Hagrid led the group of first years down a path to the boats. Many gasps and ohs and ahs were heard when they saw the old castle for the first time. Another thing Harry swore to himself was that he wouldn’t allow the castle to be damaged this time. In this regard, he was much like Riddle, no matter what, this castle was his first and only real home, and he wouldn’t allow her to come to harm if he could help it.

Ron and Harry shared a boat together with Neville Longbottom and Hermione. Harry mused during their boat ride whether or not to convince Neville to become his ally. The last time the boy had too much honour and righteousness in him to even think about joining someone dark but on the other hand that was only once he overcame his shyness and his grandmother’s treatment of him. Perhaps…with some time and the right strategy, he would have to talk to Ron about it.

For now, however, they stood together in the antechamber of the great hall waiting for McGonagall to return and take them to the sorting. This will be truly interesting.


	3. Hell Unleashed

# Chapter 3: Hell Unleashed

_For now, however, they stood together in the antechamber of the great hall waiting for McGonagall to return and take them to the sorting. This will be truly interesting._

While they stood there waiting, Harry was aware of the fact that Malfoy was observing them both closely. It seemed that they had made a lasting impression on the blonde boy. Harry snickered lowly; Malfoy probably was already scheming how to use this new situation to his personal benefit. That was when he noticed how tense Ron was.

“What is the matter?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “What are you worried about?”

“The sorting,” Ron replied with a strained smile.

“You don’t truly believe that we’ll have to wrestle with a troll, do you?” Harry now was curious.

“How…” Ron narrowed his eyes on Harry before he shook his head. “Never mind! No, that is not what I’m worried about. It has more to do with the house I’m going to be sorted into…”

“Ah, so you're worried what your family would say should you end up in Slytherin,” Harry muttered upon which Ron nodded. “Let me ask you a question, is your name Molly Weasley?”

That question, however, surprised and confused Ron. “No.”

“Then perhaps Percy Weasley?”

Ron's confusion grew even more. “No.”

“Ginny Weasley?” Harry asked next with an underlying tone that Ron couldn’t quite decipher, it was as if Harry didn’t like her though he couldn’t come up with a valid reason for why.

“No, what are these questions about?” his irritation was clearly audible.

Now Harry smirked. “You're right, you're neither of them, but nonetheless it looks to me that you're trying to live a life THEY want you to live,” here Harry’s face darkened. “You're Ronald Bilius Weasley and hell this is your life and not theirs. What do you try to accomplish by living their life? Are you someone who wants to work with dragons? Or do you want to be a curse breaker? Potions and spells inventor? No, you're not. You're not them, and you never will be, so don’t try to be someone you're not.”

“It’s just that they all are special and each of them already accomplished things they are known for…” he started, but Harry quickly interrupted him.

“So, you want to stand out, step out of their shadows and be known for your own accomplishments?” Ron again nodded. “Do you think you'll achieve this by behaving as they expect you to? You only have one life, and you don’t get a second chance to do it better should you, in the end, see that it didn’t work out the way you expected…well, normally,” Harry muttered the last part to himself, but it seemed that Ron heard him nonetheless since he threw him a strange look.

“Ron, you're a brilliant strategist, and you're able to accomplish great things, but that won’t happen if you don’t step out of the shadows of your family. What if you're sorted into Slytherin or even Hufflepuff…as long as you are okay with it and you can justify it to yourself, it doesn’t matter what others think about it.”

Ron looked at him in shock and surprise before he started to smile. “You're right, this is my life, and I should do with it what I want,” Ron said visibly calmer now. “Thanks mate, I think I needed that.”

“You're welcome,” Harry replied inwardly smirking because he was very well aware that Hermione had listened to their conversation and he hoped that she also would think about it and therefore not end up in Gryffindor only because a certain headmaster had been in that house.

It was at that moment that McGonagall returned to the waiting group of first years, leading them into the great hall for the sorting ceremony. They all followed her the others in awe over the ceiling of the great hall as well as the floating candles, but Harry had his eye somewhere entirely else.

At first, he let his gaze wander over the sea of students contemplating whom he could gather as an alley and who would probably oppose him.

The first ones his gaze fell upon on were the twins; he definitely needed them as his alleys. They were brilliant inventors who were ruthless against those who managed to land on their wrong side.

Then he spotted Cedric Diggory. He knew that the Diggorys were a neutral family in the war between Dumbledore and Voldemort, and he hoped that they at least would stay indifferent towards him. Cedric was a decent boy, and he had hated it that he had been killed by Voldemort.

His gaze swept over the Slytherin table and had to suppress a smirk. Breaking those spawns of the followers of that stupid half-blood would be a pleasure, and he could only hope that they would put up a fight because that would mean even more fun for him.

They reached the end of the aisle and Harry redirected his attention towards the head table, where the teachers were sitting. The first one his gaze fell upon was the round figure of Professor Sprout. She didn’t look like it, but the woman could be a fierce opponent when pushed. However, Harry doubted that she would ever follow him or even stay neutral for that she was too protective of her students and surely would see a threat in him, it was unfortunate, but she fell in the enemy category.

The next three professors Harry knew next to nothing about because he never took Ancient Runes, Arithmancy or Muggle Studies. That was when Hagrid walked in and sat down. Another one who firmly fell into the enemy category not only because of his history with Voldemort but also because he was so deep up Dumbledore’s backside that it was a wonder that he didn’t see the light again. It would be impossible to sway his loyalty.

He heard how Hermione was sorted into Ravenclaw and had to smirk, it seemed that she took his words to heart and did not believe everything that is printed.

Next to Dumbledore then was an empty chair where McGonagall usually sat. For all Harry cared, she could go and choke on a hairball. The woman called herself Head of the House of Gryffindor, but she had never ever cared what had happened to him or to others. That started in the first year when he had told her that the stone had been in danger and she had simply dismissed him. After that, it had continued over the next years of having been denied when something had happened or even having openly been attacked by her so no there was no love lost between them.

In the middle then was the man himself, Albus too-many-fucking-names Dumbledore with even more titles than he cared to remember. Oh, how naïve he had been to believe even one word that had come out of that man’s mouth. Well, no more!

The next interesting person then was Quirrell. Harry narrowed his eyes on him, trying to determine whether it would be a good idea to get rid of him early or not. Sure, he wanted to get rid of Voldemort as soon as possible, but that didn’t mean that he would do it the Gryffindor way this time and run into it headlong without so much of a plan. So, for now, the man was safe from him, but it wouldn’t stay that way so much was clear.

At last, there was the man he wanted and at the same time dreaded to see, Professor Severus Tobias Snape. Seeing him sitting there well and alive…he could only stare at him his stomach trying its best to do a backflip.

He knew that this was not his Severus, that the man would despise him even if it was only a show for the old fool and he also knew that he was a complete stranger to Severus, while he knew him as well as you could get to know the man. Before Severus had been murdered by Voldemort, they had stayed some time together, making plans in trying to defend Hogwarts.

Harry had to admit that he had grown to like the Potions Master very much, even more than he wanted to admit. Therefore, it was no wonder that Harry wanted to cheer and cry at the same time when seeing the man sitting there who didn’t know anything about him. In the man’s eyes, he was only a spoiled eleven-year-old who resembled his childhood tormentor a bit too much. It was as if Severus had sensed that Harry was staring at him and looked up with a sneer, though that was briefly replaced by surprise and confusion before his mask of indifference was put firmly in place again. But Harry didn’t miss it.

He was suddenly ripped from his dark thoughts when Ron hit him with his elbow bringing him back to the present.

“What?” he asked in a low tone, but Ron only nodded towards the front where McGonagall was waiting impatiently.

“Mr Potter, would you please be so gracious and come up here you're delaying the sorting ceremony,” she said in a clipped tone her expression one of disapproval.

Harry didn’t say anything and only stared at the woman for a moment before he moved up to the stool and sat down. Shortly later, the hat was placed on his head, covering his view of the hall.

“Well, what do we have here? Very interesting,” the voice of the hat echoed through Harry's mind.

“Tell anyone about it, and this is the last year you're sorting,” Harry replied threateningly, but the hat’s reaction surprised him, he started to chuckle lowly.

“Don’t you worry. I’m not able to tell anyone what I see in the heads of those I sort. Though I have to admit that you're very interesting indeed,” the hat again chuckled. “One might think that the headmaster learned his lesson after the first two times, but it seems that this would be the last mistake he made.”

“You have no idea just how much the old fool messed it up this time,” Harry replied with a smirk.

“Since I can see everything that’s in your mind, I'm very much aware of how much our not so esteemed headmaster screwed up, _Master of Death” _the hat chuckled again. “A word to the wise, give Mr Longbottom a friend he can rely on, help him gaining some confidence and he’ll be loyal ‘til death.”

“Didn’t you say that you cannot talk about what you saw in the minds of those you sort?” Harry questioned raising an eyebrow.

“And I cannot, but I can give out advice to students who are unsure in certain areas based on the knowledge they already have. Stop worrying your secret is safe with me; I'm not overly fond of the headmaster after all. So hopefully he gets a heart attack by sorting you into…SLYTHERIN,” he shouted the last word aloud with amusement clearly audible. “Have fun,” he added before he was lifted of Harry’s head.

The entire hall was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. That was until two people started to clap, Malfoy and Ron, both smiling. It did take a few moments before more and more were clapping though you could tell that it was only out of politeness.

Harry took a quick look at McGonagall who had blanched and stared at him as if she had never seen him before. After that, Harry looked at Dumbledore, who also stared at him though more in disappointment and barely hidden disdain. Harry smirked before he, at last, looked at Snape. To his surprise, the Potions Master hadn’t a hateful expression but more one of curiosity. Giving him a genuine smile and a dipping of his head in respect, Harry finally walked over to the Slytherin table sitting down, right next to Malfoy.

“So Slytherin it is then?” the blond asked with a smile.

“Surprised?” Harry snickered in reply.

“Only mildly after our conversation on the train. Though if I might give you a piece of advice…help Weasley acquire a new set of robes, he otherwise will have an even harder standing here in Slytherin added to being considered a blood traitor by most in the house,” Malfoy said without any spite in his voice much to Harry's surprise.

He thought about what Malfoy said and had to admit that he was right, but anyone who would try to attack or worse harm Ron in any way would quickly find out why this was a particularly bad idea.

“I also thought about that, but it would be hard during the school year,” he mused.

“You can always ask Snape for permission to leave school on the weekend as long as an adult accompanies you,” Malfoy replied amusedly.

“And therein lies the problem…I have no magical adult who I trust enough to not relay anything that would occur to that old fool,” Harry muttered lowly.

“Who is your magical guardian?” Malfoy inquired incredulous, upon which Harry gestured with his eyes towards Dumbledore. It took a moment for Malfoy to understand the hint. “Don’t tell me…Dumbledore?” he said, shocked.

“Malfoy, my parents are dead. My godfather imprisoned in Azkaban…so that bastard took it upon himself to _care_ for his little poster boy,” Harry hissed.

Malfoy looked at him in shock, surprise and not a small amount of calculation.

“But what about your godmother?”

“Incapacitated at St. Mungo’s for an indefinite amount of time,” Harry retorted, but that brought him to an idea he filed away for later contemplation.

Malfoy’s eyes widened hearing that. “Ms Longbottom?” she was the only one residing in St. Mungo's that made sense in that context.

“Ms Longbottom,” Harry nodded in confirmation.

“Don’t you think it quite suspicious that each and every one of those who have an incontrovertible right to claim guardianship over you are incapacitated in some way or another?” Malfoy questioned narrowing his eyes.

“When I understood it correctly the Longbottoms were targeted in revenge, but you're right with Sirius,” he drawled out when he remembered something.

When it struck him, he started to laugh heavily. It was not a pleasant laugh but a very vindictive one. Quite a few stared at him shocked, and even a bit frightened only Ron, who was just sorted into Slytherin, looked at him curiously.

“What makes you laugh like the cat who caught the canary?” he asked while sitting down next to him ignoring the disdain sent his way.

“I remembered something…I’ll tell you once we’re in the dorm. Oh, and welcome to Slytherin,” Harry said with a smile.

“Thank you,” Ron replied, watching Blaise Zabini walking to their table and sitting down opposite of him.

Now that everyone had been sorted, Dumbledore stood up to let the feast begin. To Harry's utter surprise, Ron filled his plate with an average amount of food before starting to eat with actual table manners.

It was entirely opposite of how the other Ron had been. That one had filled his plate with so much food that an entire household could have been sated by it before he started to wolf it down with no manners at all. Harry never had said anything about it, but he had hated it because it had reminded him too much of his fat pig of a cousin and even Hermione's complaints hadn’t helped.

Musing how Ron was completely opposite of what he thought he knew of him Harry filled his own plate before he started to eat. He could hear how someone a few seats down the table questioned what a blood-traitor and a filthy half-blood was doing in Slytherin. Harry had to hide a smirk.

Oh, they would learn their place in the new hierarchy of Slytherin quite quickly, or they would have to suffer the consequences. In his closer vicinity, however a complete silence had descended on the table, the only noise being made by the cutlery. The dark looks that were thrown towards them were not missed by Harry though. It surely would become interesting once they were behind the closed doors of the Slytherin common room of that he was sure.

“So, what we talked about earlier, should you want it I could ask my parents whether they might accompany you,” Draco spoke up between two bites. “You're family, after all.”

Harry looked at him surprised, not because of the family part that he had learned from Sirius during his stay at Grimmauld Place in his summer after fourth year, but more because of the offer.

“Are you sure that they want to be seen with us?” Harry rose an eyebrow. “Besides that, if we are family, why did your parents never try to claim guardianship over me?” he asked more out of curiosity.

Malfoy’s face darkened visibly. “Oh, they tried…how they tried, but my parents were shot down each and every time by our _beloved_ headmaster telling the ministry how they could not entrust your life to the followers of the man you defeated. It didn’t matter to them that my father was cleared of all crimes. To your concerns…I will explain the situation. I doubt that they would let the opportunity pass to get to know you and your friend better.”

“What are you two talking about?” Ron interrupted them when he heard the ‘_your friend’_ part, wondering who they were talking about since Harry entrusted to him on the train that he considered him his only friend at the moment.

At first, Harry looked a bit confused until he realised where that question came from.

“Sorry Ron, I completely forgot that you weren’t here yet when I discussed the topic with Malfoy. I wanted to invite you to a shopping trip since we both need a few things. However, I was a bit put out that we would have to wait until the winter holidays when Malfoy told me that it would not be a problem to get permission to leave on the weekend in company of an adult. Though I know no one I trust to not relay anything to our _esteemed_ headmaster…long story short he offered to ask whether his parents would accompany us,” Harry summarised what had occurred before Ron was sorted.

“Do you really think that this is wise, Malfoy?” Ron addressed Malfoy in doubt this time.

He didn’t miss the glances quite a few of the ones surrounding them shot them that agreed with that statement. The only one he noticed didn’t look down at him or even in disdain was the Zabini boy opposite of him, he looked more amused…interesting.

“Weasley, as I just told Potter they will be interested in getting acquainted with you, of this I'm sure. I will send them a letter right tomorrow morning,” Malfoy simply stated before returning to his meal, making clear that the conversation was over for now.

Once everyone was finished, the main course was vanished and replaced by sweets. Not having any appetite for it, Harry only sipped his water from time to time observing the hall. He saw the twins looking in their direction with a curious expression. To him, it seemed that they were not averse to the thought of him and especially their brother in Slytherin. Even Percy was more surprised and curious than disappointed as Harry would have expected. Another twenty minutes later that course also vanished leaving empty and clean plates behind.

Dumbledore stood up while McGonagall hit her spoon against her chalice to get the attention of the hall.

“Now that we’re watered and fed a few last words before you can leave to your dorms. First, the first years should notice that the Forbidden Forrest is called that for a reason…it is forbidden. A few of the older ones should remember that too,” he added with a glance at the twins.

“Then I have to inform you that this year the third-floor corridor on the right hand is out of bounds for everyone who doesn’t want to die an excruciating death.”

This time he glanced towards Harry, but he didn’t react in any way, he wouldn’t let himself fall into the traps of the old fool. Dumbledore looked slightly surprised before he continued.

“Quidditch try-outs will be held in the second week. Those who want to try for their team shall either inform their head of the house or Madame Hooch. Now off you trod, bedtime.”

With the last words, spoken conversations rose again throughout the hall while the prefects of the houses called out for the first years to follow them. Harry and Ron stood up and followed Markus Flint who was the fifth year Slytherin prefect down into the dungeons of Hogwarts together with the other Slytherins of the first year. After giving them the password and telling them that it would change at the beginning of each month, he led them in and gathered them in the common room. Harry had to admit that he found the quiet and dark rooms far more soothing than the loud, boisterous and overly bright Gryffindor rooms. Not much later, the door opened again. Snape strode in at a brisk pace, his robes billowing behind him. He walked past them to the centre of the room before turning around sharply.

“Welcome to the noble House of Slytherin,” he said in a voice that was just a tad above a whisper but caught their attention, nonetheless. “While you’re members of this house you will show unity in front of the other houses. I warn you that I don’t want to hear any complaints about unruly behaviour even if we have a few surprising members,” here he curtly glanced at Harry and Ron. “Any quarrels between you will stay within the walls of the common room, did I make myself clear?” he looked around pleased to see everyone nodding. “Very well, during the first week the prefects will guide you to the great hall at 8 o’clock sharply, whoever is late will have to find the way alone, as well as to the classes during the day. You will do good to memorise the ways as I will not tolerating you being late to your classes, understood?” again everyone nodded. “Good, the prefects will show you your dorms. Good evening.”

With his robes billowing behind him, Snape quickly left the common room and the first years behind. Harry had to admit that while the man had a tight grip on his house, he treated them much fairer than McGonagall did with her Gryffindors. He could vividly remember the first school day of his former life; he and Ron had been late to the Transfiguration class because they had been hopelessly lost in this vast castle, but instead of showing sympathy with them McGonagall had even ridiculed them in front of the entire class.

The sound of the door falling into the lock brought him out of his musing, and he just wanted to follow Flint to the dorms when suddenly a girl stood in his way.

“Well…well…what is a filthy half-blood like you and a blood-traitor doing in Slytherin?” she asked in a mocking voice attracting the attention of the other Slytherins.

Throwing a quick glance at Ron in case he would try anything stupid, Harry was again surprised to see the relaxed stance of his friend. Looking back at his offender, he smirked.

“Ms Parkinson, am I correct? You might want to be careful who you insult because you might end up biting off more than you can handle,” he said in a calm tone.

“Am I supposed to be intimidated by you, _Potter_?” she spat out the last word with venom. “You’re not even worth the dirt under my nails, you and your blood-traitor friend,” with that she spat Harry right into the face before she started to laugh.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath while whipping the spit out of his face. “I tried to prevent what is about to happen, I really did,” he said with a sigh hearing Ron taking several steps away from him though from the sound of it not in fear, excellent. “But it seems that certain things simply can’t be circumvented,” with the last word he opened his eyes again glaring at the girl icily his eyes giving off a low glow letting them look like an Avada Kedavra about to be fired off.

With the speed of a striking viper, he wandlessly sent out a wave of magic towards her, knocking her off her feet and sending her skidding to the middle of the room. Quite a few gasps were heard from the other members of Slytherin.

“You know what is quite interesting,” he said wandlessly pinning her to the ground where she had come to a halt. “Me, a boy who has actually two magical parents, you despise but the bastard son of a mere squib and a muggle you bow down to so lowly that you can kiss the ground he walks upon,” he told her with a snicker while walking around her in a wide arc. “A bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”

“What in Salazar’s name are you talking about?” she brought out glaring at him menacingly.

“Why, Tom Marvolo Riddle of course. Ah yes, …sorry…I forgot,” he took out his wand and did the same thing that Riddle had done in his previous second year. Once he wrote out the name in fiery letters, he gave it a swish so that they rearranged themselves.

“Do you think the Dark Lord is a filthy half-blood? That a mere half-blood could be the heir to one of the greatest men in history, Salazar Slytherin?” she now laughed, but it quickly died down upon seeing Harry's smirk.

“I do not only think that the last part is possible…I know,” his smirk grew even broader. “Because flash news! I am the current heir of Slytherin.”

The silence that now stretched over the common room was palpable.

“What? Never heard of the right of conquest?” Harry asked incredulous.

“As if the son of a Mudblood could best the Dark Lord. He is not dead and when he returns you will beg him to kill you, but he won’t you know…he will go on and on until there is nothing more left of you than a whimpering pile of filth that you are,” she said in a smug voice.

“Bad mistake,” Zabini muttered from somewhere, and Ron, as well as Draco, had to admit that the dark-skinned boy was right.

“_Oh, shut the fuck up!_” he snapped in parseltongue resulting in a muttering going through the rows of students surrounding them. “Pansy, Pansy, Pansy, I'm very much aware that Voldemort isn’t dead, but that will change quite soon because what you fail to see is that there is one thing I hate the most, having a rival,” he stated as if it was the most normal in this world.

“You're delusional, Potter,” she sneered.

“Ron…what am I supposed to do with her?” he threw up his arms in exasperation. “I mean I don’t know what else to tell that stupid bint…she doesn’t listen.”

“Perhaps you should try it with a bit more…physical convincing then,” Ron replied with a smirk of his own, surprising many of the others.

“I probably could, but I don’t want to waste any more time on her,” he muttered when an idea occurred to him. “But I have a better idea. Pansy, how would you like it to become my obedient little pet,” he said with a smile that didn’t bode well for the girl.

“Only in your dreams,” she spat out.

“Hmmm, dreams can come real,” Harry crouched down next to her head.

With a flick of his hand he conjured up a pocket mirror. Everyone wondered what he wanted to do with it when he held out his hand over her face or more specifically over her mouth while forcing her to open it with the other hand. A few moments later suddenly a small white glowing orb came flowing out of her mouth while at the same time her body went limp. Guiding the sphere, he pushed it into the conjured mirror with a smile.

“What have you done you filthy son of a Mudblood whore? Where am I?” suddenly an extremely furious Pansy Parkinson screeched. Though to the shock and surprise of everyone, bar Harry, the body that laid on the floor hadn’t moved.

“What I have done my dear Pansy many probably would refer to as the darkest kind of magic in existence, I created a Horcrux,” he said while looking into the mirror where the ghostly image of Pansy’s face was hovering with a confused expression. “Ah yes, you have no idea what a Horcrux is because it is even for someone like you too dark. A Horcrux is a splinter of a soul, stored in an inanimate object and created to gain something akin to immortality. Though in your case I simply stored your complete soul. Yes, yes, I know…to create a Horcrux you first need to murder someone and afterwards perform a certain ritual I will not explain in detail, but I never was one for mere technicalities. Oh that reminds me,” here he tapped the forehead of Pansy’s body with his index finger reanimating it in the process. “Not that someone gets the wrong impression.”

“What can I do for my master?” the reanimated body asked going onto all four and placing its forehead on the floor inches away from Harry’s feet.

While everyone else stared at Harry with various degrees of fear, disbelieve, and even curiosity Ron started to laugh uproariously.

“Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting,” he quoted between bouts of laughter.

“A skilful leader subdues the enemy’s troops without any fighting,” Harry added.

“Would someone please be gracious enough and explain to me how Potter did that?” someone inquired that looked like a fifth-year whose name Harry didn’t know.

“What, didn’t I mention it? I'm actually a Necromancer of the First Order,” he stated as if it was something entirely reasonable.


	4. Nothing Is As It Seems

# Chapter 4: Nothing Is As It Seems

_“What, didn’t I mention it? I'm actually a Necromancer of the First Order,” he stated as if it was something entirely reasonable._

The only one who didn’t look as if he didn’t know what Harry was talking about was surprisingly Zabini who looked a mixture of shock, surprise and fear.

“Ah, since you’re the only one who seems to know what I’m talking about…would you please enlighten the class what a Necromancer of the First Order is, Zabini?” Harry addressed the boy.

Said boy gulped audibly but nodded dutifully. “Actually it is not much I know either. What I know is that they are extremely rare and ending on the bad side of one…let’s just say that the things they can do would let the Dark Lord appear like a cute little girl,” he fell silent again and looked at Harry in trepidation. He hoped that he didn’t draw the boys ire on him because he didn’t know much, but to his surprise Harry started to laugh.

“I like you, Zabini. He is right. However, there is more to it. You see Necromancers are divided into three Orders, First, Second and Third. Well, I could be placed in an entirely own Order, but that is beside the point at the moment,” Harry snickered, looking around at the others. “Necromancers of the Third Order consists of everyone who can do as much as rising Inferi, so those who only scrap the outer regions of Necromancy.

“Second-Order Necromancers are nearly the entire rest and are those who meddle with advanced Necromancy – interesting fact…that idiot Riddle was actually one.

“However, as Zabini said, the Necromancers of the First Order are rare, exceptionally so. Those are the ones that bring Necromancy on a whole new level. Raising the dead is a finger exercise for them, Necromantic rituals their leisure activity and creating something like Horcruxes their hobby, though that one is a bit fickle.

“The thing is the Necromancers of the First Order are those favoured by Death himself, but he is a bit picky when it comes to the souls,” here Harry clicked his tongue. “Now you wonder why I said that I would need my own Order to be classified. That is because I actually stand even over the First Order,” now Harry sported a smirk that would make the devil himself look like a saint. “I’m the Master of Death.”

Everyone now really looked as if he lost it that was except Ron who seemed amused by the behaviour of the Slytherins. Some even scoffed over the absurdity of his claim.

“Please, the Master of Death is a myth…a children’s story!” one of the older students said amusedly. “No one could ever prove the existence of the Deathly Hallows let alone the Master of Death.”

“So they say,” Harry conceded while drawing the elder wand.

Holding it like a conductor would hold his baton, he mused for a moment before flicking it here and there as if he was conducting an invisible orchestra. What he couldn’t see was that his eyes turned completely black.

At first, nothing seemed to happen, and the other students were wondering what Harry was doing when suddenly ghostly people began to appear around the room before becoming more solid and colourful. One might think that the apparitions were simple ghosts, but the difference is, that ghosts are monochromatic while those that just appeared were in colour even if they were translucent.

Several screams echoed through the room and students either jumped away from the ghosts or drew their wand. When they realised though that the spirits were not only harmless but also their relatives who died, they quickly relaxed. Some even began to talk to them while others thought this an elaborate hoax.

“It is truly pathetic to see what became of the once noble and respected House of Slytherin,” suddenly a smooth voice came from slightly behind Harry.

Surprised, Harry turned around, to be faced with a tall lean wizard with long smooth black hair and who wore an emerald long open robe over black tunic and trousers.

“Salazar Slytherin,” Harry muttered under his breath, recognising the man because of the paintings he had seen depicting him. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mutual, little master,” the man replied with a curt bow of his head. “When I felt your magic penetrating the veil, I couldn’t pass this opportunity to cross as well as brief as it may be.”

Harry hummed hearing that. “A task or a piece of advice?” he asked Salazar, knowing that the man wouldn’t have come for anything else.

The man’s mouth curled into a smile. “Both,” he replied with a low chuckle. “Not only Hogwarts but the entire British wizarding community are a pathetic shade of what it is supposed to be. In Hogwarts, prejudice and dissension run rampant.

“The Gryffindors and Slytherins are always at each other’s throat, Hufflepuff is overlooked as the pathetic rest. Ravenclaw, on the other hand, is full of bullies and instead of trying to understand what they don’t know they suppress it.

“In the meantime, the Ministry is full of corruption, blackmailing and wretched weaklings who only talk after those whose goodwill they seek.”

“So, in short, you want me to overthrow the entire system and rebuild it into something worthy?”

“By any means necessary,” Salazar confirmed with a nod. “I don’t doubt that you’re up to that task with how you handled yourself this evening. However, this is where the advice comes in. Large-scale blunt force won’t get you far....”

Salazar had warned the other three founders that something like this would happen. That if they weren’t careful, traditions would get lost and the British wizarding world would fall into a corrupt oligarchy. But Gryffindor had been adamant, that everything would work out just fine and that there was nothing to worry about. Look where they were now.

“Except if I want to eradicate everyone on the British Isles,” Harry said in acknowledgement. “I know. What kind of member of your house would I be if I couldn’t do things subtly?”

“Killing my poor familiar wasn’t very subtle now, was it?” Salazar asked with a knowing glint in his eyes. “I would be grateful could you refrain from doing it again.”

Ron, upon hearing this statement, looked at Harry curiously but for now, curbed his desire to get answers. This was far more interesting and important than learning what Harry was hiding.

“I didn’t kill her by choice,” Harry huffed indignantly. “She tried to kill me. So as long as she doesn’t do that....”

“As hard as it is to admit, you’re right. I think that the loneliness disagrees with her,” Salazar admitted. “Maybe if you visit her, she’ll be less lonely. However, our time here is nearly up. A last bit of advice. Listen to those you trust when they tell you you’re in the wrong, lest you end up like that idiot Riddle.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Ron spoke up for the first time with a broad grin.

Up until now, he had watched the rest of the house how they reacted to their dead relatives suddenly standing in front of them even if they were only ghosts. Some animatedly talked to them, happy to see them again. Others got scolded for their misdemeanours while some also broke down entirely in hysterics and tears.

Ron also made sure that no one bothered them, not that anyone was paying attention to them, to begin with.

Salazar looked him over before he curtly bowed his head.

“You’re a loyal friend, and I trust you to keep him from deviating from his path,” he said. “Now, the time is over. Good luck!”

Before either Ron or Harry could say anything, the man began to fade until he vanished entirely. When they looked around, they could see that all the other apparitions disappeared too. The only thing that showed that something has happened was the state of the students.

Harry had to grin evilly when he saw that there were two Slytherins, who sat curled up in a corner and whimpered.

“Do you still think that I’m some ordinary wizard?” Harry asked the students amusedly.

The answer he got was split in three. There was the group that looked at him in awe and admiration. It seemed to Harry that they would do nearly everything only to get his benignity so that he might grant them time with their beloved dead ones again.

Then some looked at him frightfully. Obviously, they were contemplating what else he could do and do to them.

At last, there were those who looked at him in pure loathing. Whether it was because he was more powerful as them, his blood status, what just happened, or whatever other reason, Harry didn’t know.

The only ones who seemed to be unaffected were Ron, Draco and Blaise.

Draco could feel that as long as he didn’t something stupid or otherwise antagonise Harry, he was safe from him hence why he was currently looking around the room in smugness.

Blaise, on the other hand, knew that it was the height of stupidity to anger someone as powerful as Harry. So, while he would stay in Harry’s good graces, he also wouldn’t lower himself to the level of the unadulterated admiration those Slytherins showed, who were in awe with Harry.

Ron, as the last one of the group, knew that as long as he didn’t give Harry a good reason to cause him harm, he would be safe. That was also the reason for why he was currently standing right next to him with a smirk that rivalled Harry’s.

“Very well, I’m off to the dorm,” Harry continued when he didn’t receive an answer. “You, on the other hand, should think about whether it is worth to face my ire.”

With that, he turned around and walked down the corridor to where the male dorms were located. To his surprise only two of a year slept in one room. It was even more of a surprise when he saw that he would share with Ron.

He opened the door and entered the room closely followed by the boy. The room was quite bright considering that they were in the dungeons. A beige carpet covered the floor, and the furniture was made out of a reddish-brown wood.

In front of a floor-length double window that looked out into the Black Lake, two beds stood with a bed stand next to each. The sheets were a crisp white while the bedding was deep forest green.

Left and right to the entrance door stood dressers and desks. On the left wall was a large fireplace in which a fire merrily burned while on the left side a door led to the bathroom.

Illuminated was the entire room by multiple lamps standing on the bedsides, the desks but also hanging from the walls that basked the place in soft golden light.

Harry walked over to the right bed at which foot his trunk stood and flopped down on it.

“Ugh, I didn’t think that I would have to pull something so drastic before the first day of school,” he groaned, placing his arm over his eyes.

“Yeah, it was a sight to behold, mate,” Ron replied, sitting down on his own bed and watching Harry.

“You know, there is something I’m wondering about,” Harry mused. “Why are you in Slytherin? I mean not that I think that you wouldn’t fit in here, quite the contrary, but all your brothers are in Gryffindor. Sure I said before the sorting that you’re not them and should live your own life, but it is surprising nonetheless.”

Ron let a low chuckle out.

“The same reason why I wanted to be close to you even before I actually met you,” Ron answered with a smile.

Harry looked at Ron with narrowed eyes. Did Ron have ulterior motives in befriending him? That thought didn’t sit well with him, and he didn’t know what he would do should it prove to be true. He had hoped that Ron was a true friend, especially after learning that Ron didn’t condemn him for what he was.

“What?” he asked tersely.

Ron sighed deeply. He hoped that Harry didn’t take this the wrong way.

“It was a few weeks back. Only Molly, Ginny and I were at home,” he began his explanation.

Harry furrowed his brows on Ron’s disinclination of calling them mother and sister, instead of using their names.

“They were sitting in the kitchen when I was on my way to get something to drink. I wasn’t in their line of sight, and it seemed that they thought I wasn’t there at all. When I heard what they were talking about rage began boiling in me,” he continued his explanation.

“At first, it was only Ginny whining that she wanted to go to Hogwarts this year to meet her husband-to-be. I was wondering who she meant as I knew she had no betrothal contract. That was when Molly told her that she would have to wait another year because Dumbledore would need time to ensure that _he _was on the right path.

“You cannot fathom how confused I was about all that,” Ron said with a shallow laugh. “I was about to give up on learning who they were talking about when I heard Ginny’s exclamation. She said that she and Harry were destined to be together and that she would have to ensure that they got along so that she would have all the money, clothes, and jewels she deserved.

“It wasn’t hard to deduce what _Harry _she was talking about as not many Harrys would begin school this year and even less who Dumbledore would have any interest in, Harry Potter.

“That was when I decided to try and get close to you to protect you. But when I met you on the train, I knew that you wouldn’t necessarily need my protection,” Ron finished his explanation. “Not that I didn’t want to become your friend anyway.”

“So, at first you just wanted to become my friend to protect me from that part of your family, but when you met me you thought _to hell with what my family might think, I want to be his friend even if it means that I’ll be a Slytherin_?” Harry asked cautiously. Some things still didn’t add up. “Then why were you so worried before the sorting? What would you have done was I truly the naïve Golden-Boy?”

Ron sighed again, wondering about how much to tell Harry. In the end, he decided to be completely honest with him because he doubted that Harry would take it well if he kept things from him or worse, lied to him. Besides, from what he already saw from Harry, he highly doubted that Harry would take the news badly.

“Is it safe to talk here?” he carefully asked. Ron wouldn’t divulge any secrets if there were the off-chance that someone might listen in.

Harry lazily waved his wand, erecting a few privacy wards before he nodded to Ron.

“It is as I said on the train, you’re not the only one to has secrets,” he began with a low chuckle once he felt the charms settling. “My family is nothing like what we display in public. Quite the contrary. The Weasley family always has been one of the darkest families on the British Isles.”

That brought Harry short. Had he heard correctly? The Weasleys, the most notorious light family in existence, was actually dark? How could that be?

“Err, what?” Harry eloquently asked in shock and surprise.

Ron laughed a full belly laugh when he saw Harry’s face.

“You heard correctly, the Weasleys are a dark family,” he replied before he launched into another explanation. “The entire _poor, but happy light family who couldn’t hurt a fly _is a front we display to the public. I mean would you believe if someone told you that a member of that family did anything bad?”

Now it was upon Harry to chuckle.

“I would have severely questioned the sanity of the person saying such a thing, to be honest,” he said with a grin.

“And that is exactly how we want it.”

“But if you’re not the Muggle-tech loving light fools you display, then what are you?” Harry questioned while rolling onto his side to face Ron.

The grin that Ron now sported was nothing but pure malice

“My father is also known as The Shadow. He works in the shadows, gathering and trading with information. But he also works as a hitman from time to time. He is hired when someone wants to make a statement.

“Bill, my oldest brother on the other hand...let’s just say that to work as a highly successful curse breaker you need to know the curses you want to break very well. You need an object cursed for whatever purpose? He is your man.

“The next in line is Charly. His work at the dragon reservation is also just a front. The real business he has is smuggling and selling dragon parts on the black market. Nobody in the reservation ever realises that not every egg that is declared dead really is. Or that parts of dead dragons go missing.”

Harry couldn’t help himself but laugh over the stupidity of the people. Even Ron chuckled.

“Percy though is a completely different matter. He is learning from my dad and his entire stuck up, and bootlicking attitude is merely a front to get close to his targets. The thing is that many people in positions of authority love it when someone strokes their ego, and they let their guard down. Bad mistake.”

“But Percy is still at Hogwarts,” Harry stated confusedly and curiosity. “Has he already...?”

“Twice,” Ron answered with a smirk. “One was a high-ranking Ministry worker this summer. Percy went to a Ministry ball with dad where he then poisoned some idiot who angered the wrong person. The second one was a student in his fourth year who pissed him off. The parents thought it was a case of severe Dragon Pox,” he explained with a laugh.

“You see, while my dad is called when you want to make a massive public statement, Percy is the silent one. He is the one you want when you want to get rid of someone without letting it look like murder. Or someone has to vanish. Though those don’t necessarily die. Perce has contacts both in the Department for Registration but also Magical Transport. He can get you everything you might need to leave the land and change your name.”

“You have a family,” Harry laughed.

Somehow, he had problems aligning what Ron just told him with the people he knew or at least thought he knew. But then, he also hid quite a bit so was it so hard to believe that the Weasley family was any different,

“What about the twins?” he wondered.

Ron hummed for a moment. “They are kind of a jack-of-all-trades. For ones they already have quite the smuggling business here at Hogwarts. Whatever you want they can get it. Then they also have a black-market running for many things. From pranking items to illegal ingredients and potions, objects you need for rituals, information, and many more things. You also never want to end at the wrong end of their wands. Bill taught them quite a bit over the summers. Last I know is that they were thinking about extending their repertoire to thieving hence why they were looking into warding.”

“That I can believe. And you? What is your secret? Becoming the next Dark Lord in secret?”

Now Ron grinned wickedly. “Can’t you feel it?” he asked instead of answering.

Harry grew confused. What was he supposed to feel? However, he did as Ron suggested and reached out with his magic towards his – hopefully – friend. When his magic reached the other boy, he burst out laughing.

“You’re a Necromancer!” he exclaimed between deep breaths to get himself under control again.

He could feel Ron’s and his magic dancing around each other and complementing the other. However, what he also could feel was that something was missing. As much as their magics fitted the other, there was something like a void, as if there was meant to be a third element.

“Yep, currently still Third Order but I hope to reach the Second Order within the next two years,” Ron replied with a nod, bringing Harry out from his musings.

Harry looked at Ron with an unreadable expression before he got up, walked over to his friend and pulled him in a tight hug.

“What was that for?” Ron asked surprised when Harry let go of him.

“Because you’re a true friend,” Harry replied with a smile while sitting down next to the other boy. “I have to admit that at first, I was worried when you began to tell me everything that you had ulterior motives for befriending me. But you only wanted to protect me and for you to trust me with your family's secrets…I wonder...what about Ginny and your mother?”

Ron scoffed.

“They don’t know anything. Dad once told me that he contemplated telling Molly despite his reservations. Then he heard her one day muttering that he should get a better job at the Ministry and that she had hoped how that being married to a man working at the ministry would give her a better social standing.

“The only two reasons for why he stayed with her was that at that time she was pregnant with Percy and he still loved her.

“However, with what I told him about her and Ginny after I overheard them...I somehow don’t doubt that Molly’s life will become harder in the near future.

“Ginny, on the other hand,...she isn’t even his daughter,” he finished in disgust.

Harry was surprised. Ginny wasn’t Arthur’s child? How could that be?

“Are you sure?” he tentatively asked.

“One hundred per cent sure,” Ron said with a snort. “Dad told me after I confided in him what I heard. He said that in his youth he had performed a ritual to enhance his body though it had a price. The price was that he is physically unable to sire a daughter. So, you can see why it is impossible for that money-grubbing bint to be a Weasley. Since she isn’t a Weasley she has no right to know anything.”

Harry let himself fall backwards onto Ron’s bed. It was inconceivable that the entire male Weasley family hid something like that behind their façade of the poor but happy family. That he hadn’t seen that during his first life. Had he really been so naïve? What else had he overlooked? Was there anything the way he thought it was? How blind had he been?

After contemplating those questions for a few moments, he ripped himself from his thoughts. It would get him nowhere thinking about what was. He needed to think about what was about to come.

“I’m still wondering...what would you have done had I been the naïve Golden-Boy everyone thinks me to be?” he mused aloud.

“I would have stayed with my original disguise as some mediocre Gryffindor to stay close to you and keep those away from you who might want to use you for your money, fame or power,” Ron replied with a shrug.

“So, that was what you were worried about. Not what your family would think that you obviously turned Slytherin but for you shedding your disguise,” Harry realised, earning himself a nod from Ron.

It also cemented their friendship in Harry’s eyes. Ron had openly dismissed his disguises, disguises that would have kept everyone from realising the truth about him, only to be his friend.

“Compared to yours, my secret is pretty small,” he said with a laugh.

“And what is your oh so small secret?” Ron questioned, lying down next to Harry while facing him.

“I’m from the future,” Harry admitted with a crooked grin.

Ron began to splutter.

“That you call small?” he asked in disbelief.

“Compared to a dark family of assassins, smugglers and Necromancers hiding in plain sight as a light family? Yes, I think that coming from about seven years into the future is pretty small. Merlin, even Dumbledore doesn’t have the faintest idea about your family!”

“At least it explains how you know so much despite learning of the magical world only a few months ago,” Ron muttered.

“It was actually the truth that I learned of the magical world when I received my letter,” Harry conceded. “The first time around, Hagrid had to drag me from some god-forsaken island where my relatives tried to hide from the magical world. Not that it worked,” Harry told amusedly. “Hell, was I a naïve little boy at that time. So easy to impress.”

“Somehow I cannot believe that,” Ron snorted.

“But it’s true. While shopping for the school things, Hagrid constantly praised Gryffindor and that not one dark witch or wizard had not come from Slytherin. When I then met Draco for the first time with his haughty and arrogant attitude, and you also told me how great Gryffindor is...it was set,” he said with a scoff. “I went to Gryffindor and became the Golden-Boy everyone expected me to.”

“Why do I have the feeling that it didn’t end well?”

“Because you would be right,” Harry replied with a sigh and began to tell his friend everything that happened during his first go at this while they comfortable sat on the bed.

Ron listened with rapt attention to how they faced trolls, the shade of the Dark Lord, a sixty feet long Basilisk and whatever not. The more he heard, the more horrified he grew. Sure, he had been with Harry and helped him survive the madness that was thrown at them, but that they had to face them in the first place was unbelievable.

“We’ll need a plan,” Ron declared once Harry finished with how he landed in the past. “Because trust me, I won’t allow the same shit to happen a second time.”

Harry smiled broadly at Ron, his eyes gleaming in apparent happiness.

“I’m so glad to have you as my friend,” he whispered, but Ron heard nonetheless.

That was when Ron’s pet rat came scuttling out from under the pillow, where he obviously hid the entire time.

Harry stared at the rat for a long moment before he realised that he completely forgot about Pettigrew and began to curse up a storm, his wand flying into his hand. That rat had heard everything, he had to do something.

“Stupefy! Incarcerous! Petrificus Totalus!” he exclaimed, pointing his wand at the rat.

“What was that about?” Ron inquired surprised. “That is just Scabbers, my rat.”

“That,” Harry spat in disgust. “Isn’t just a rat.”

Waving his wand, Harry conjured a magic suppressing bubble around the rodent. One which would grow or shrink to fit around what it contained. The next thing was to spell the thing impenetrable for physical objects so that Pettigrew wouldn’t be able to escape. As soon as he was done, he shot the Animagus reversal spell at him and an Eneverate.

Ron gasped when he saw that his rat was, in fact, an Animagus. He was disgusted that he allowed a grown man to sleep with him in his bed. Merlin, he even changed in front of him.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked, concerned when he saw his friend going a bit green.

“This man slept in my bed with me. I undressed in front of him! Of course, I’m not okay!” Ron exclaimed.

“Then it is a good thing that I intend to dispose of him in Madame Bone’s office once I’m done with him,” Harry replied with a smirk that spoke of nothing good.

Pettigrew, on the other hand, who woke up after being hit with the Eneverate, began to snivel.

“H-Harry, h-how good to s-see you,” he stuttered nearly as severely as Quirrell, trying to get to Harry but the bubble effectively prevented that.

“I would say the same, weren’t you such a pathetic weak rat,” Harry mocked. “Alas, you’re a murderer and a traitor, so, no not a pleasure to meet you.”

“But...but I-I never did a-anything,” Pettigrew whimpered.

“You want to tell me that you were not the secrete-keeper? That you didn’t betray my parents to Voldy before framing my godfather? That you’re not a pathetic Death Eater?” Harry snarled and with a whip of his hand ripped Pettigrew’s left sleeve to shreds and showing the Dark Mark for everyone.

“Please...please show mercy!” Pettigrew now pleaded. “You’re a good boy.”

Both Harry and Ron looked at the man in disbelief.

“Is he serious?” Ron questioned.

“That would be my godfather,” Harry retorted with a laugh. He couldn’t help himself but make that joke, though Ron didn’t seem to get it, so he elaborated. “Sirius Black, my godfather and framed by this sniffling rat with the betrayal of my parents and murder of twelve Muggles. That rat blew up a gas pipe, cut off his own finger, transformed and vanished into the sewers of London while my godfather was falsely imprisoned.”

“Let me guess...you want to use him to get your godfather out of prison?”

“Jup! But not before having some fun with him,” Harry replied with a malicious grin. “Ever heard of the Necrosis curse?”

“Yeah...,” Ron tentatively answered. “I read about it. It attacks the cells of the body and kills them and consequently, the cursed person. But it does so within minutes. How do you want to get him to the Ministry then?”

Harry began to laugh uproariously and made Ron wonder about his questionable sanity.

“What if the curse was dragged out so that it doesn’t kill within minutes but months?”

Ron contemplated that and nodded in the end. “That would work,” he conceded.

“Right? Lesson time!” he piped hyper. “You’re going to cast it.”

With that, he guided his friend through the steps of adjusting the curse and casting it. It took Ron a few tries, but in the end, he successfully placed it on the snivelling man.

“Great, now I just have to bring him to the Ministry.”

“But how?” Ron wondered. “It is late, and you’d have to get out of Hogwarts first.”

“Ron...Ron...Ron... you forget who I am,” Harry snickered. “Death cannot be stopped by mere wards and neither can I. I’ll just Apparate straight to Madame Bones’ office.”

With that, he pulled his invisibility cloak out of his trunk and threw it over his shoulders. Ron, who caught up on what Harry was about to do, grinned broadly.

Harry swiftly pulled the hood up and vanished entirely. Wrapping his magic around Pettigrew and himself, he apparated straight to the office of the Head of the DMLE. Surprisingly, Bones was still in her office and jumped as soon as the two landed and drew her wand.

Conjuring a note with information, Harry apparated back to Hogwarts, leaving a whimpering man and a shell-shocked Madame Bones behind.


End file.
